Racing game



Oct. 21, 1947. Q RQB|N$ 2,429,428

RACING GAME Filed July 1945 I N VEN TOR. 4901/- Baa/Ms Patented Oct. 21, 1947 RACING GAME Adolf Robins, White Plains, N. Y., assignor' to Tipv Top Toy- Company, New- York; N. Y.,, a copartnership consisting of. Karl Tausig and Adolf Robins- Application July 6, 1945, Serial No. 603,469

4 Claims. 1 The present invention is directed to game devices, more particularly to a game having com,- petitive racing as its principal feature.

Games of this general character have long beenv known and used. Essentially they have consisted in a platform having thereon a set of figures such as of horses attached to cords or the like and the cords were wound on a suitable drum simultaneously to cause all the figures to move towards the end of the race course. Usually a single movement of the drum; caused, the movement of all of the participants of the race. In one such game, there was provided an oval track with grooVes, to guide the figures and the drum was. in; a container filled with irregular objects. It was intended that these objects would become entwined in, the cords in various ways and thus cause irregular movements of the. figures. Such an apparatus was very complicated and did not function very well. Each of the cords had to be providedwith a. separate drum and all of the drums were connected together. The drums were necessarily of different size. Also, the. irregular objects did not function as desired to: give an unpredictable result in the race.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the; difiiculties and. disadvantages inherent in prior structures and it has among its objects to provide a racing game which is, simple in construction and which may be readily manipulated by even inexperienced operators.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to. provide a compact apparatus in which all the elements may beretained when not in use and which may be readily transported and easily set up for use.

It is still further among the objects of the present invention to provide a game of the type described in which with each operation, the chances are so variable that it cannot be predicted until the Very end of the race which of the figures will reach the finishing line first.

In practicing the present invention, there is provided a casing with a roller mounted horizontally therein and adapted to be rotated, usually by hand. A series of cords have one end secured to the roller and the other end to a figure or object such as a horse and rider, which is to participate in the race. The cord passes through a guide member which is a substantial distance below the level of the roller and adjacent thereto so that that portion of the cord which is between the guide and roller is in an inclined position near the vertical. Threaded onto each cord are one or more beads loosely strung on the cord.

Inthe operation of the game whenthe roller is being rotated to wind the cord thereomthe fibers of the cord making; contact with the opening in the beads willtend to raise the same,

against the. actionof gravity. The relative forces are therefore opposed toqea'ch other, and depending upon chance, one or more. of the beadswill be raised into; contact with the roller-at unpredictable intervals- It dependsconsiderably upon the character of the fibers which stand out from .the cord, the relative: diameters of cord and bead opening, thespeed of rotation, and othervariable factors- Once abea'd contacts with the roller, then its cord is wound: on-the roller at a greater rate. This rate may vary amongst theseveral cords at varioustimes due to the number cfbeads so contacting the roller and also the exactv position of thebead on theroller- As a result, one cannot 'predictywith any certainty at all howthe figures will finish a race. Even figures which have apparently a safelead wi11 in most cases lose a race, Very often a figure which has been in the rear of the contestants-will finishfirst/ In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof, and in which like 'reference characto that of Fig. 2; but" showing the game in position for a race;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 4'4 of'Fig. 1, showing the several figures during the; course-- of the race as they near the finish line; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view showing some of the beads in contact with the roller during the course of a race.

The casing comprises a rear wall I and a pair of side walls 2 and 3, with a bottom member 4 and a top '5 permanently in position. A horizontal roller 6 is mounted between ends 2 and 3 of the casing, one end of the roller having a stop member I secured thereto and the other end having a crank 8 outside of the casing with a handle 9 for operating the same, A slide l0 operating in suitable grooves is adapted to close the casing. A knob I on slide Ill facilitates the introduction and removal thereof.

Within the casing is a vertical partition l2 substantially parallel to roller 14. In the bottom of partition l2 are a series of openings l3 constituting guides for the cords. Said openings are a substantial distance below roller 6 and but slightly displaced horizontally therefrom. One end of cords I4 is secured to roller 6 and the other end thereof is secured to object or figure l6. As shown more particularl in Figs. 3 and 5, a pair of beads I! are threaded onto that section of cord l 5 which lies between guide [3 and roller 6. The openings in beads I! are somewhat larger than the diameter of cord I5 so as to fit loosely thereon.

Within the casing and on the opposite side of partition l2 from the section in which roller 6 is mounted, is a compartment I8. A plurality of vertical members constituting stalls l9 are fitted in compartment l8, the inner ends of said stalls making contact with partition I2. An incline or ramp is provided at the open end or front of the casing. The stalls provide restin places for figures l6 when the device is not in use, as is shown in Fig. 2.

Although the invention has been described set- .ting forth a single specific embodiment thereof, it

will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the details of construction may 'be made therein. For instance, the casing need not be fully closed but one or more of the sides may be omitted. Compartment I8 is not absolutely essential and may be either entirely omitted or may be modified so that the several figures may be packed therein. Roller 6 need not be smooth or of a single diameter throughout its length but may be irregularly roughened and the diameter may be caused to vary in an irregular manner. While two beads have been shown on each cord, the number may vary and a single bead may be used, although preferably a larger number than shown,

say three or four, may in many cases be preferable.

The several beads on each cord may be of various sizes and shapes. The materials used in the construction may be changed at will to suit the occasion.

These and other changes in the details of construction may be made within the spirit of the invention, which is to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A racing game comprising a casing, a roller mounted for horizontal rotation therein, a cord having one end secured to said roller, an object attached to the free end of said cord, a guide adjacent to said roller at a point substantially below said roller, said cord passing through said guide and upwardly onto said roller, at least one bead interposed between said guide and roller and loosely threaded on said cord, said bead during operation of said game being subjected to opposed forces of gravity and friction with said cord.

2. A racing game comprising a casing, a roller mounted for horizontal rotation therein, a plurality of cords having one end secured along said roller, an object attached to the free end of each cord, a vertical partition substantially parallel to said roller, a plurality of guides in said partition adjacent to said roller at a point substantially below said roller, said cords passing through said guides and upwardly onto said roller, at least one bead interposed between said guide and roller and loosely threaded on each cord, said bead during operation of said game being subjected to opposed forces of gravity and friction with said cord.

3. A racing game comprising a casing, a roller mounted for horizonta1 rotation therein, a plurality of cords having one end secured along said roller, an object attached to the free end of each cord. a vertical partition substantially parallel to said roller, a plurality of. guides in said partition adjacent to said roller at a point substantially below said roller, said cords passing through said guides, a bead interposed between said guide and roller and loosely threaded on each cord, said bead during operation of said game being subjected to I opposed forces of gravity and friction with said cord, a plurality of stalls adjacent said partition perpendicular thereto into which said objects may be fitted.

4. A racing game comprising a casing, a roller mounted for horizontal rotation therein, a plurality of cords having one end secured along said roller, an'object attached to the free end of each cord, a vertical partition substantially parallel to said roller, a plurality of guides in said partition adjacent to said roller at a point substantially below said roller, said cords passing through said guides, a bead interposed between said guide and roller and loosely threaded on each cord, said bead during operation of said game being subjected to opposed forces of gravity and friction with said cord, a plurality of stalls adjacent said partition perpendicular thereto into which said objects may be fitted, and a slide fitted into said casing for enclosing said stalls,

ADOLF ROBINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 498,367 Seeker Ma 3Q, 1893 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17,213 Great Britain 1912 

